


the myriad of ways (that i love you)

by XellyChan



Series: mortal kombat discord comment fics [3]
Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games)
Genre: M/M, Pining, tipsy gushing about your boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 16:41:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19113649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XellyChan/pseuds/XellyChan
Summary: Hydro hums, making a valiant effort not sound pained and failing. "Yes, that much is obvious, my little snowflake." They lean their chin on their palm, watching Kuai watch Hanzo. Despite themselves, they feel a crooked smile begin to twitch at the corners of their mouth.





	the myriad of ways (that i love you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mdkeller99](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mdkeller99/gifts).



> Discord request fic, expanded. The prompt was Kuai admiring Hanzo's ass. This is rather silly, but it works out if you think of this as being set before MK11 and more specifically [Everything That Is Elusive](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18969805) .
> 
> Come join me in the mk discord to yell at me to write more https://discord.gg/xE6z6bX

"You're so.... pathetic," Hydro says with delighted disgust, reaching around Kuai Liang's shoulders to pluck the sloshing drink from lax fingers. "It'd almost be refreshing if only watching you didn't turn my stomach."

Kuai reaches for his glass, a thin frown pursing his mouth beneath the tipsy flush darkening his cheeks. "I'm just happy for once," Kuai Liang defends himself lamely, sighing gustily when Hydro keeps his drink away from him.

"Is it wrong of me to hope your good cheer is solely because of the half quart of whiskey in your bloodstream, or must I acknowledge your infatuation with that yellow insect?" Hydro unhooked their mask to quickly throw back the rest of Kuai's glass, wincing at the burn of alcohol before slamming the cup lip down on the table in front of Kuai.

Kuai snorts inelegantly, flicking the empty glass away from him, drawing his finger through the spill of watered down whiskey left behind. Hydro rolls their eyes when they see Kuai is absently writing the characters for Hanzo's name. "Arachnid. Scorpions are arachnids."

"Of course," Hydro demurs sarcastically, brazenly throwing themselves down into the seat next to Kuai. "How rude of me, we mustn't confuse the emtomology, no, that'd be far too _garish_ ," they flick disinterested fingers towards Hanzo's back, where he stood talking to a cheery Takeda and bored looking Frost.

Kuai smiles to himself, the expression is softer and sillier than anything Hydro has seen for a very long time. "I know you hate it," he says, putting the finishing stroke to Hanzo's name, then circling and freezing it into place. "But I do love him."

Hydro hums, making a valiant effort not sound pained and failing. "Yes, that much is obvious, my little snowflake." They lean their chin on their palm, watching Kuai watch Hanzo. Despite themselves, they feel a crooked smile begin to twitch at the corners of their mouth. "Your eyes have been positively glued to his backside all night." Affecting a scandalized voice, they nudge Kuai's shoulder with their own, slyly whispering, "What would the children think?"

Coughing in embarrassed shock, Kuai jerks away, clumsily batting Hydro away, his chair scraping noisily backward. The faint tipsy flush darkens into a full blush, coloring the tips of his ears and the back of his neck, creeping down the deep vee of Kuai's shirt collar to his chest. Hydro laughs, the sound for once lacking its normal cruelty, and pats Kuai soothingly on the back. Across the room, Hanzo tosses them both a concerned glance, holding his hand up to silence whatever Takeda was telling him. Hydro waves him away, still softly snickering at their once and again student. "I'd forgotten how bashful you could be," they say, cupping their hand over Kuai's warm neck.

"It's not _bashfulness_ ," Kuai scowls, thumping his own chest, still red-faced. His blue eyes avoid lingering too long in any one spot, mouth twisting into something that could almost be called a pout. "I suppose I should be grateful you took my drink away so I didn't choke on it, but I'm sure it wasn't a planned kindness on your part."

Hydro smiles and says nothing, gently combing their fingers over the short strands of hair on Kuai's nape. Kuai shuffles uncomfortably underneath the mild affection, but the alcohol and the ambiance of the celebrations (and, though they both try not to think about it, Hanzo's continual careful handling of Kuai) has done much to lower his guard. He reminds Hydro of the sweet-faced child he'd been in the beginning before the Lin Kuei had ground away all that softness to steel. Before long, Kuai is leaning into Hydro's touch, sinking into Hydro's side in a way he hasn't done since he was very young. After a long while, Kuai begins to speak again, voice low and dozy as the tension unwinds from his shoulders. "He's handsome and kind and passionate." He admits, eyes slipping closed. "Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by it all."

Humming, Hydro listens despite rolling their eyes again. Playing dumb, they ask slyly, "Overwhelmed by his ass?"

Without opening his eyes, Kuai elbows Hydro in the side. And then, after a few moments, quietly and _bashfully_  says, "Sometimes?"

Very politely, Hydro refrains from making a disgusted noise. "Oh my, you are rather soused right now, aren't you?"

Kuai chuckles, somewhat self consciously. "Maybe a little. But you have to agree, it is a rather nice backside, yes?"

"My darling boy, you confuse my tastes with your own." Hydro's nose scrunches up behind their mask. "In that, I have a sense of taste and you _don't_."

Opening his eyes, Kuai pulls away from Hydro's cool side, a sleepy grin transforming his face into something adorably boyish. "You're the one who brought it up, now you're reaping what you sow, 师父."

"Miscreant brattling."

"Bitter old water witch."

They both share a quiet laugh.

Hydro watches as Kuai Liang's eyes catch Hanzo's, something intimate and unspoken passing between them. Kuai's already soft expression goes sweeter as he tucks a sappy smile behind his palm. Across the room, Hanzo's dark eyes flash with something warm and possessive, a lopsided smile sliding into place before he's pulled back into another conversation.

Drumming their fingers on the table, Hydro thoughtfully frowns. "You really do like the whole yellow package, then, don't you." They sigh mournfully, only partly in jest. Double checking with thin hope, "And not just his ass?"

"And not just his ass," Kuai confirms, rolling his eyes but not altogether looking away from said ass. Instead, his head tilts and he leans forward in order to get a better look for himself. When Hanzo shifts in place, his hip cocking to the side as he listened unenthusiastically to something Johnny was excitedly gesticulating about, Kuai utters a longing little sound, bottom lip catching between his teeth. "As nice as it is. I mean, it's so _f_ _irm_."

"Gross," Hydro says with false cheer.

As if he didn't hear them, Kuai continues. "It's perfect, especially when he's practicing sword forms. The way his uniform conforms to his body is nice, but the soft way his gi drapes around his legs and backside, it's just–"

Hydro gags.

"–a gift to Earthrealm. I don't think I've ever seen a more attractive backside, even that pompous Rain fellow doesn't compare, especially when Hanzo does that _t_ _hing_  where he–"

Bordering on genuinely panicked now, having released something they thought their normally prudish student wasn't capable of, Hydro flicks conjured water at Kuai. "Nope, I'm not listening to any more of this!"

Kuai sputters, gracelessly freezing the water to a loose slush and pelting back at Hydro. An immature fight ensues, slush and icy jets of water splashing about them and drawing the attention of everyone in attendance.

"Where oh where did my sweet, shy little snowflake go?" Hydro moans theatrically, nimbly dodging a blanket of half-formed slurry, letting it splash over the hors d'oeuvres, much to Johnny Cage's horror.

"My munchies!" Johnny moans, pushing his way to the drenched snack table and mournfully picking up a soggy finger sandwich. His formal sunglasses slip down his nose as he turns devastated eyes towards his unimpressed wife and a cackling Cassie. Sonya simply rolls her eyes, turning on her stilettoed heel and making her way to the thankfully untouched liquor table across the room. Cassie stays behind, snapping close up pictures of the mess with her phone, showing them to Jacqui for caption critique. "Aww, man, not cool you guys. You Lin Kuei sure know how to drag everyone in your drama."

Hydro not so subtly draws water to pull beneath Johnny Cage's feet, causing him to slip and fall hard on his ass with an undignified yelp. "You're thinking of the Shirai Ryu, Mr. Cage," They toss carelessly over their shoulder, weaving between the crowd of guests and shamelessly using Frost as a shield from a fuming, pink-faced Kuai stalking quickly after them. Frost sniffs disinterestedly, moving aside for her teacher to have a clear shot at Hydro.

Narrow-eyed, Kuai gets into Hydro's space, prodding an icy finger into their unapologetically grinning face, annoyance at odds with his drenched suit and rosy, drink flushed cheeks. "Don't hide behind the children!"

Mirroring Kuai's annoyance, Frost pipes up, "Not a child, thanks."

"Don't traumatize the elderly, then," Hydro retorts, laying a hand over their heart with a scandalized tone. "Wheres your sense of propriety?

Kuai's shoulders box up around his ears, nose wrinkling with a stubborn expression Hydro knew _unfortunately well_  from his childhood. Just as uncertainty began to nibble at the base of Hydro's spine, Hydro caught sight of a bemused looking Hanzo from over Kuai's shoulder. Kuai pushed up his shirt sleeves, vibrating with the spiteful sort of energy only the delightfully wasted possessed. Beside them, Frost tenses up, her lip curling into a pained grimace, her eyes wide with the trepidation of a child about to watch their parent embarrass them and seeing no way to stop it. "You never raised me with one, so _this_  is all your fault," Kuai says archly, then whirls around, grabbing a surprised Hanzo by the lapels and pulling him for a bold, if clumsy, kiss.

Hanzo made a confused noise into Kuai's mouth but obligingly placed his hands on Kuai's shoulders, tilting his head and kissing back, this time with better aim. The room at large broke into shocked gasps and laughs, not quite able to believe the quiet, proper Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei could be capable of public affection, tipsy or no.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Frost hisses, turning away in mortified disgust, a feeling Hydro thoroughly sympathized with when Kuai Liang's right hand went down to pinch Hanzo's ass. "This is why I would rather kill you all instead of making an alliance with that yellow bastard."


End file.
